


The Case of Lehnsherr, Erik

by elbatross



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Cancer, Charles Is a Big Dorkface, Gen, Happy Ending, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-24
Updated: 2012-11-24
Packaged: 2017-11-19 10:57:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/572518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elbatross/pseuds/elbatross
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a lump of flesh in a jar on Professor Xavier's desk, and everyone wants to know what it is and who it belongs to. Charles explains.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Case of Lehnsherr, Erik

**Author's Note:**

  * For [palalife](https://archiveofourown.org/users/palalife/gifts).



> Originally posted to [tumblr](http://sharkweekhomes.tumblr.com/post/27872069072/palalife-x-men-reverse-bang-prompt-1023) a few months ago in a bit of response to palalife's prompt, which was unfilled at the time when I wrote it. It's not related to the full fic that someone else has done, more of an RP verse I did with my friend a while ago. I posted it here because I wanted to properly gift it to palalife since she's one of my favorite artists.
> 
> I promise this has a happy ending, and that I've actually read this through and fixed some of the mistakes the original had.

On Charles’s office desk at school, there is a little jar with a preserved lump of flesh in it. Students pass it by with disgust or curiosity, never asking about it. There’s a label on it proclaiming that it came from one “Lehnsherr, Erik” a few years ago, but other than that there’s no clue as to what it is exactly or who the man is came from could be. Some speculate a step-brother, or uncle, or maybe even their professor’s best friend, but no one is willing to seek out the information. For one, Charles is only personal about his former students and his baby sister. They know that his sister is “sort of” dating an alumni, and there’s no Erik Lehnsherr in any of the yearbooks. In the years since it showed up on his desk, people have passed it by in wonder, forming theories and making up a story about it. A few medical students classify it as some sort of brain tumor, and the stories get wilder and wilder.

Charles cleared it up on a Friday afternoon. It was his last class of the day, and Valentines day to boot. He knew that many of his students skipped for dinner dates and movies, leaving his room half full. Most of his favorites were there, including Kitty Pryde and Cassie Lang, putting him a little more at ease. The jar was in his hand, carefully set onto the podium as the class started. “Today we’re going to talk about a different sort of mutation. It’s related to genetics, as tumors usually are, but brain cancer can affect even the most healthy of people.” He started his lesson off with a slide, as usual.

The students listened attentively as he spoke, jotting down notes and watching him tap the little jar every so often. Notes were passed as the time started to go by, and once class was half over, they noticed their Professor walk to the far end of the room to grab a waist coat and jacket. They matched his suit pants, and it garnered a few giggles. Their professor was going on a date after his lecture, which would have been even more amusing if a note hadn’t gone around that he might be visiting whomever the tumor belonged to. The atmosphere in the room seemed to change after that, even as they watched him smile fondly at the jar and straighten his tie.

“That’s all the lecture I have today,” he announced, nearly a half an hour left to the class. Nobody moved, watching him start to pack up. From the back of the class, someone spoke up.

“Professor Xavier, what happened to Erik? Who was he?” Charles glanced up from his paperwork, smiling shyly and closing his briefcase He pulled up his chair to sit in front of the class, folding his hands on his lap. 

“Erik Lehnsherr is the name of my partner. We’re both far too old for the term ‘boyfriends,’ I suppose. As you all have guessed, this is his. He’s an athletic man, tall and lean, jogged the same route every day for a year before work, save for three or so days. Changed those habits once the cancer was found. Hardly smoked a day in his life, rarely drank until he was diagnosed.” He held the little jar to the light, looking it over again. “He was from Germany, moved here at twenty five to support his mother as an engineer. She passed away battling cancer, the same affliction as he son. Erik’s the love of my life, the only person aside from Raven who matters so much. I watched him jog his route every day before he knew, and then he stopped for three days. The morning he returned, he got up earlier so he could go to Hank’s to get a dozen roses, then jogged all the way to the park where we’d see one another. I’ll never forget how he asked me out.” Charles chuckled, still smiling to the jar. “‘Excuse me, I’m going to die soon and I really like you. Would you go out on a date with me?’ Not the smoothest way I’d ever been asked out, and for a moment I thought he was joking, but he was entirely honest with me. We ended up spending the whole day together, talking about books and chess and our childhoods. It was almost an instant connection.” There were a couple of sniffles from various students, all assuming the same thing.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Professor,” Kitty spoke, her voice cracking a little. At that, Charles looked quite alarmed.

“Loss? Oh no, you mustn't assume. Erik is very much alive. He has his days, and he had his days before and after the surgery, but he does well. He only changed his jogging route to accommodate for my inferior skill, and while he used to get terrible headaches and still has his moments of irritability. I assure you that he’s still with us.” The class all stared, dumbfounded by this new information. Their professor was keeping his still living boyfriend’s three year old brain tumor on his desk as a treasured keepsake like one would a photo of their children.

“But…why?”

“Well, it’s simple, you see. Were it not for this cluster of mutated cells, Erik and I would never be together. He has no one else, and he didn’t want to be alone while going through this. His high chance of dying from a rare tumor that usually presents itself in children gave him that little bit of courage he needed to break away from the monotony of a life of work and get a little more social. I admit, it’s a little bit morbid, but it brought us together. Now, if you’ll all excuse me, I’ve just gotten a text from the man in question and we’ve got a reservation to make. I’ll see you all on Monday.” Charles picked up his things and strolled out of the room, leaving his students befuddled. Erik waited for him by his car, dressed in a sleek black suit and silver tie. 

“How was class today?”

“Wonderful.”


End file.
